Press and daily Dakotaian. (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1880-1889, 1887-12-05
MORMON CHURCH WEALTH
SAINTS DETECTED AT THE ACTION
OF THE GOVERNMENT.

Flo Resistance offered the Receiver in
Taking Possession of the Various
neutrality-suspicious. Views as Expressed
by a Mormon Elder.
SALT LAKE. Utah, Dec. 3.-Last week
witnessed strange scenes and unwontad
proceedings in this heretofore stronghold
of tho modern Saints. Next to his Lord,
the faithful Latter Day Saint loves his
gold the most. Made MP of the very
poor and ignorant from every quarter of
the civilized globe, the community has
steadily and swiftly grown in wealth,
and they have done this in spite of ad-
verse circumstance and ugly combina-
ions of circumstances against them.
They are not rich as individuals, very
few, indeed, of the Mormons owning
enough to entitle them to be classed
among the wealthy men of the county;
but as a community they are rich, and
genuine poverty among them is rare.
The church itself, the corporation, has
long been understood to be immensely
rich, Besides its temples and taber-
nac1es, representing an expenditure of
millions, 1t was the owner of vast tracts
of land, Of valuable city lots, of railroad
aud other stocks and bonds, of herds and
hocks, and of property Of every con-
ceivable character, all acquired and
created from the III thes and offer
tngs poured into its Golfers by the multi
tude OF thrifty, industrious, economic
men and women making up the associa-
ton. During the lifetime of Brigham
Young it was not known what belonged
to the church nor what to him. He and
the church were identical in the eyes of
many and in the matter of property own
ership, and probably In his own opinion
as well. When he died there was a divi-
sion of poperty, ome millions worth be-
ing divided among his numerous wives
and m~ultttudinous offspring, and other
millions going to the church. There was
SO much that the heirs were made rich
and the church was understood to be
wealthy.
Last winter congress passed q bill In
structing the attorney general to insti-
tute a suit for the dissolution of the
church corporation, and the winding up
of its affairs; the property was to be
seized by the federal government, and at
the conclusion of the suit to be turned
over to the public school fund. A re-
oeiyer was appointed, and, having filed
his bond for $3.50, 600, the past week he
has been engaged in the work Of taking
possession OF the defendants property.
The receivers first demand was for the
tithing house, the institution through
which the church corporation receives
the contributions and offerings from the
people. He was received courteously,
was shown about the immense premises,
and the property turned over to him, he
placing a deputy in charge. Only a
formal protest was offered to his as
sumption of possession. Next he took
the building and grounds of the church
historian, a valuable place in the centey
of the city. The Gardo house came next.
This is better known to strangers as the
Amelia palace" being the 800, 600
mansion erected by Brigham Young for
his fayorite wife, Amelia Folsom. At
Brigham Young's death it fell to the
church, and has since been the official
residence OF the president and his family.
1t was feared that when the officer
should take possession of the Temple
block, the faithful would be unable To
restrain themselves, as this is sacred
ground, and IN it are the holy of HOLES.
to the purity and protection of which eli
the faithful are devoted. In the ten-acre
square at the head of Main street are the
endowment house, where the secret rites
and ceremonies are performed, the vast,
oval-shaped tabernacle, with its seating
capacity OF twelve thousand; the hand
some granite assembly hall, which cost
$500, GOO, and the unfinished walls OF the
majestic granite temple, one OF. the
grandest structures on the continent. All
were given up to the receiver without a
sign of resistance, although it is said
that the protest here was more emphatic
than that offered at the other places.
When asked if the Mormons regarded
as lost to them the vast property that
had been surrendered to the receiver, the
elder replied that they did not; that
they and their attorneys believed that the.
law which coniscated their property was
unconstitutional, and would be de-
clared void. when their lands and yalua-
bles would be returned tothem. "Howey-
err continued he, eve shall make the
contest within the law, and by the meth
DDS of the law; if the case shall be An
ally decided agair:ataas our property will
be gone;. but there will be the satisfac-
tion OF knowing that we nave lone moth
ing in the matter that will not be APP
proved by the country. II we stand
strictly by the law, and lose millions by
1t, nobody can cry that the Mormons are
q lawless people"
A. LORD MAYOR JAILED.